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Temple ends No. 17 Houston’s undefeated season on controversial charge call

Temple v Villanova

VILLANOVA, PA - DECEMBER 05: Shizz Alston Jr. #10 and Quinton Rose #1 of the Temple Owls reacts after an offensive foul in the second half against the Villanova Wildcats at Finneran Pavilion on December 5, 2018 in Villanova, Pennsylvania. The Villanova Wildcats defeated the Temple Owls 69-59. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)

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College basketball is down to two undefeated teams as Temple knocked off No. 17 Houston with a controversial 73-69 American Athletic Conference win on Wednesday night.

With the Cougars trailing by two points with possession and under 10 seconds left, an offensive foul was called on Houston’s Corey Davis Jr. as he made the driving potential game-tying bucket with time expiring. While the call appeared to be a correct one, it’s a tough call to swallow to end an undefeated season.

You make the call: charge or not?

Michigan and Virginia are the only two unbeaten teams in college basketball entering Wednesday’s second session of games following Houston’s loss.

Besides for the controversial call at the end, Temple had control of most of this conference game on Wednesday night -- earning a huge win for their postseason cause in the process. The Owls (12-3, 2-1) had a solid night from the trio of Quinton Rose (22 points), Nate Pierre-Louis (16 points) and Shizz Alston Jr. (12 points) as they looked like a tough contender in the American -- and for a potential tournament bid.

Houston crawled back thanks to great stretches from its defense as the offense struggled with consistency. The interior play of big man Breaon Brady (19 points) was a bright spot for the Cougars, as his post touches generated some of the only offense Houston could count on.

While Houston’s undefeated season ending is going to hurt, they should still be in solid position to make the NCAA tournament. This is a road loss to a tough conference opponent and Temple now stands to benefit from knocking off the league’s elite team. The Owls still have more work to do to feel secure about their postseason standing, but this is the type of win you could center a profile around as the Cougars have the chance to end the season as a top-25 team.

Things just got a little bit more interesting with regard to the American and postseason spots -- especially if leagues like the Pac-12 don’t have a lot of bids to offer.